Couvade Syndrome: Expectant Fathers And Pregnancy Symptoms

Trending News: Yes, Men Get Morning Sickness Too

Why Is This Important?

Scientists don't exactly know why men get "sympathy pregnancy," but they are starting to understand a little more about how it works.

Long Story Short

A new report of Couvade syndrome in Britain brings into focus the many cases of "sympathy pregnancy" experienced by men whose partners are expecting. Experts are calling for more research into the symptoms, which can include morning sickness, tiredness, weight gain and food cravings.

Long Story

Twenty-nine-year-old Harry Ashby has become the first man in the UK to be signed off work with morning sickness after being diagnosed with Couvade syndrome or "sympathy sickness." Even though it's his 19-year-old fiancée Charlotte Allsopp who is actually carrying the baby, Ashby has been suffering from tiredness, gaining weight and experiencing food cravings.

Couvade syndrome isn't a medically recognized physical or mental disorder, so Ashby can consider himself fortunate to get a sick note for it. Nevertheless, studies have shown that it does happen: The male partners of pregnant women can find themselves overly tired, suffering from morning sickness, getting toothache and even putting on weight as the baby grows.

Ante-natal depression, mood swings, early morning waking, anxiety and memory loss can also be involved, according to findings from City University in London. In some cases, it can last right up to the birth of the baby and occasionally beyond it. Research carried out in the United States has shown that between 25 and 52 percent of men experienced "pregnancy sympathy" in some form or another while their partners were expecting.

The statistics are there to see, but experts disagree about why the condition appears and how subconscious or otherwise the whole process is. Emotional attachment to the partner and child, hormonal influences, jealousy of the woman's ability to procreate, and fear of marginalization on the part of the father have all been suggested as potential causes. Other doctors think it's a reaction to the stress associated with becoming a father.

"Collectively, these symptoms may signify an empathic identification with a pregnant partner and to the man’s unborn child, but it could also be a resolution of unconscious thoughts that might threaten both," writes Arthur Brennan, a senior lecturer of psychology, research methods and statistics at St George's, University of London, in the Washington Post.

Brennan wants to see more research carried out into the condition — particular in terms of the hormonal associations — so we can fully understand why men are often able to feel the effects of their partner's pregnancy.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question: Are fathers really getting enough support when it comes to working through the physical and mental challenges of having a baby?

Disrupt Your Feed: Until the condition of pregnancy sympathy gets the research it needs, affected men are just going to have to suffer with it.

Drop This Fact: The name Couvade syndrome comes from the French word "couver" which translates as "to hatch."